Railway hopper car



July 20, 1937.

A. c. WINTEMBERG v 2,087,746 RAILWAY HOPPER 01m Filed April 27, 1934 3 Shets-Sheet 1 July 20, 1937. A. c. WINTEMBERG RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Filed April 27, 1934 s Sheets-She et ,2v

July 20, 1937. A. c. WINTEMBERG MILWAY HOPPER CAR Filed April 27, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 20, 1937 unites srarss I RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Adelbert o. Winternberg, Drexel mu, Pa., signor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill.,.a corporation of Delaware Application April 27, 1934, Serial No. 722,587

8 Claims.

This invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists in a novel underframe construction particularly for hopper cars.

An object of the present invention is to simplify and strengthen the hopper car underframe by forming a plurality of hoppers integral with the center sill, parts of the hoppers extending above and below the center sill and reinforcing alternate portions thereof. it

Another object is to decrease the weight and cost of the structure without affecting the strength thereof by eliminating excessive metal at points of concentration.

Another object is to rigidify the underframe by arranging the sloping end walls of adjacent hoppers to form deep transverse braces extending from side sill to side sill.

In a copending application Serial No. 482,034, filed September 15, 1930, in the names of Harry M. Pflager and Einar G. Hallquist, now Patent No. 1,985,380, are illustrated. and claimed certain features of the present construction and reference is here made thereto for further description thereof.

The above objects are attained in the accomganying drawings illustrating the present invenlOIl.

Figure l is a top View of a hopper car, the left half showing the superstructure and the right half showing underframing only.

Figure 2 is a side view of the car, the right half being taken in section approximately on the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top view of the underframe substantially enlarged.

Figures 4 and 6 are vertical longitudinal sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side view of the structure in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3. i

The hopper car underframe illustrated in the drawings may be conveniently formed, as shown, as an integral metal casting including side sills l, center sill 2, draft sills 3 forming extensions of the center sill, end sills 4, and bolsters 5. On each side of the center sill 2 are the hoppers 6, l and 8 having downwardly facing openings equipped with hopper doors 9 and door latch devices l0.

Mounted on the underframe is a gondola type body including side walls H, braced by vertical posts l2, and end walls l3, the side and end walls being reinforced at the top by flanges l4 and l5.

Secured to the upper edges of the outer end walls 65 of the end hoppers, which walls extend to the level of the upper surface of center sill 2, are the plates ll forming continuations of the hopper end walls and extending to the superstructure end walls l3. Plates H are supported above the bolsters 5 by members is.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, the inner end walls is of the end hoppers t and 8 and both end walls I?! and 29 of the intermediate hoppers l extend substantially above the-normal top level of the center sill 2 and the end walls of adjacent hoppers rnerge to form inverted V-shaped structures. The adjacent top web 22 of the center sill is bulged upwardly at 22a and merges with the upper portions of the hopper walls l9 and 2!] to form therewith deep wide braces A and B which extend across the underfrarne and merge at their ends with, and are reinforced by, the side sills 5, these structures in end view resembling triangular trusses as indicated in Figure 5. Braces A and B are further reinforced by longitudinal and transverse ribs 25 and 26 on the undersurfaces thereof, ribs 25 terminating in door hinge lugs 3|.

Welded to structures A and B are vertical members 2i extending from side to side of the car and reinforcing the side walls II.

The portions 22 of the center sill top webs inside the hoppers are convex in cross section, as shown in the right half of Figure 7, to better shed bulk lading. Extending between the side walls 23 of the center sill beneath the structures A and B are horizontal bracing ribs 24.

As shown in Figure '7, the lower portions of the hopper inside walls 21 extend beneath and reinforce the center sill, forming continuations of the side walls 23 thereof. The portions of the center sill inside the hoppers are of inverted U- section, and the parts of the center sill adjacent the upwardly bulged portions of the top web thereof are, in general, of box section, the bottom webs 28 thereof extending slightly beyond the side walls 23, as at 29, and are recessed at 30 to compensate for the additional metal in the bulged top web and the ribs 24, 25 and 26.

The hoppers are substantially deeper than has heretofore been the case, while the intersecting end walls thereof serve to form deep transverse braces for the underframe well adapted to carry heavy loads and withstandrough usage. The entire upper surface of the center sill is smooth and continuous and disposed to direct bulk mate rials into the hoppers. Moreover, due to the novel shaping of the parts, pockets and metal concentration presenting molding difficulties are eliminated and the underframe has maximum strength and rigidity with the use of a minimum amount of metal.

The invention is not restricted to the details illustrated in the drawings but may be modified in various respects as will occur to those skilled in the art, and the exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. A hopper car integral underframe structure comprising a center sill with a substantially horizontal top wall and a hopper inner end wall merging with and extending substantially above and below said sill, said top Wall terminating at said end wall.

2. In a hopper car integral underframe structure, a center sill, hopper side walls depending therefrom and hopper end walls projecting thereabove between said side walls, said side and end walls merging with said sill and reinforcing the same at intervals therealong, substantial portions of the sill walls being omitted to compensate for said reinforcement.

3. A hopper car center sill structure having portions of box-shaped and inverted U-shaped cross section, the top of said box section portion forming parts of the sloping end walls of adjacent hoppers and extending above the top of the inverted U-shaped portion of the structure so as to form a continuous unbroken center sill top member.

4. A railway car center sill of box-like section including a top wall having a restricted longitudinal portion inclined upwardly and then downwardly throughout its width to extend above the level of the remaining and major part of said top wall and forming a transverse ridge comprising the upper parts of hopper end walls extending transversely of the car, there being a substantially horizontal web at the level of said top wall beneath the inclined portions of said ridge and spaced from the lower portions of said ridge.

5. In a railway car underframe, a center sill of box-like section including top and bottom walls, hoppers having upwardly converging end walls extending laterally from said sill and bracing the same transversely of the car, the bottom wall of said sill being interrupted for a substantial distance between said hopper walls, and the top Wall of said sill merging With said hopper walls and forming therewith an inverted V-shaped ridge extending across the car above the general level of said sill.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 5 which also includes a plurality of vertically spaced transversely extending braces of restricted width between the sides of said center sill beneath said ridge.

7. A hopper car longitudinal sill structure including side walls and a top wall connecting the same, a restricted longitudinal portion of said top wall being bulged upwardly to form parts of adjacent hopper end walls extending above the general level of the sill structure, there being a reinforcing rib extending between said side walls at the level of said top wall directly beneath the top of said bulged portion.

8. A hopper car longitudinal sill structure including side walls and a top wall connecting the same, a restricted longitudinal portion of said top wall being bulged upwardly to form parts of adjacent hopper end walls extending above the general level of the sill structure, said bottom wall being interrupted beneath said bulged portion, and vertically spaced ties between said side walls located directly beneath said top wall bulged portion.

ADELBERT C. WINTEMBERG. 

